Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Arizona immigration law

A few people, journalists among them, have asked me for my stance on the Arizona immigration law. Some have wondered why I'm not commenting on it on this site (do I secretly support it?)

No, I don't. But I'm not very well-versed on the ins and outs of US-Mexican immigration issues/laws, so I thought I'd read up a bit first before mouthing off.

For now, here is my gut reaction to the law (apologies if this famous poem from Nazi-era pastor Martin Niemцller is not 100 percent accurate, i pulled it from some random site):

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.

1 comment:

Bravo Malcomb! Your gut instinct is right on, I myself believe that if we don't stop this horrible racially charged attack against Brown people and a more multi cultural society by the Arizona fascist element then it very well could be the beggining of the end for democracy, freedom from a secret police knocking on our doors at night (not unlike the Nazi takeover of most of Europe a few decades ago), the end of US Constitutional protection thru the Bill of Rights, and a descent into a dark dystopian future for all of us in the USA.Fight the good fight! Boycott Arizona!

About Me

I'm a 39-year-old freelance journalist/author, until recently based in Mexico City. I've written for Newsweek (with whom I was an editor from 2000 to 2007) Slate.com, Foreign Policy, Jane's Intelligence Weekly, FDI magazine, the Sunday Times, World Politics Review, Soldier of Fortune, The News (Mexico City), The Sun, Nogales International and the Haitian Times. I've written two books on Mexico's drug war, "The Last Narco," published September 2010, and "Hasta El Ultimo Dia," published in March 2012. I hold a Master's Degree in War Studies from the University of Glasgow.
I have provided commentary on the drug war for CNN, NPR, the BBC, The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, AOL News, CTV (Canada), Xinhua, El Universal and Reforma (Mexico) and several other publications and major news outlets.
I can be reached for requests for commentary/talks on the Mexican drug war at mbeithpublic@gmail.com
The photos and opinions on this site are my own, unless otherwise specified.